JP2003107567A - Image pickup device, electronic flash control method, and program making computer implement the same method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image pickup device which automatically decides whether a person is photographed without any user's trouble and automatically performs lighting suitable for portrait photography. SOLUTION: A CPU 115a detects the face of the person in inputted image data, computes an exposure quantity according to a photometric result based upon the detected face of the person as a photometric area, and performs exposure control according to the computed exposure quantity.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus, a strobe control method, and a program for a computer to execute the method, and more specifically, to an image pickup apparatus having a strobe function and a face detection function, and a strobe control. The present invention relates to a method and a program for a computer to execute the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a color photograph is taken using a strobe device, a so-called red-eye phenomenon may occur in which a human eye shines red or gold. The red-eye phenomenon occurs when the flash light of the light emitting portion of the electronic flash device that has passed through the pupil of the eye is reflected by the retina portion and the reflected light is reflected on the film. More specifically, this is because a large number of reticulated blood vessels are present in the retina of the eye, and the hemoglobin in the blood is red, so that the reflected light is reddish. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a technique of performing red-eye prevention light emission for reducing a human pupil and then performing main light emission in order to prevent red-eye.

[0003]

However, the camera provided with the conventional strobe device has various problems as described below. First, when a close-up of a face is taken, there is a problem that a portion such as a forehead that is strongly hit with strobe light reflects the strobe light and causes white out. Secondly, since the backlight judgment is made based on the difference in brightness between the central portion of the screen and the surroundings, when the person is not in the center of the screen due to the backlight, the automatic flash emission for backlight compensation is not performed and the strobe is emitted. Has a problem that it is necessary to switch to the forced light emission mode. Thirdly, there is a problem that the user has to perform a red-eye mode switching or a weak strobe light emission operation in order to prevent red-eye or whiteout due to the strobe light.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and automatically determines whether or not a person is photographed without bothering the user, and automatically emits light suitable for person photographing. A first object of the present invention is to provide an imaging device capable of performing the same, a strobe control method, and a program for a computer to execute the method.

Further, the present invention has been made in view of the above, and an image pickup apparatus capable of automatically preventing red eyes and whiteouts when photographing a person, a strobe control method, and a computer executing the method. The second purpose is to provide a program for doing so.

Further, the present invention has been made in view of the above, and an image pickup device capable of performing backlight compensation flash emission regardless of the position of a person on a screen, a strobe control method, and a computer method therefor. The third purpose is to provide a program to be executed by.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is, in an image pickup apparatus having a strobe function, an image pickup means for inputting image data according to an object, and Face detection means for detecting a person's face from image data input from the image pickup means,
The light emitting device is provided with strobe light emitting means for emitting strobe light, and strobe control means for controlling the strobe light emitting means on the basis of the detection result of the face of the person by the face detecting means.

According to the above invention, the image pickup means inputs the image data corresponding to the subject, the face detection means detects the face of the person from the image data input from the image pickup means, and the strobe control means sets the face. By controlling the stroboscopic light emitting means based on the detection result of the face of the person by the detecting means, it is automatically determined whether or not the person is photographed, and the light emission suitable for the person photographing is automatically performed.

The invention according to claim 2 provides the invention according to claim 1.
In the invention according to the first aspect, the strobe control unit causes the strobe light emission unit to perform red-eye prevention emission and then main emission when the face detection unit detects a person's face.

According to the above invention, the strobe control means is
When a face of a person is detected by the face detection means, the stroboscopic light emission means is caused to perform red-eye prevention light emission and then main light emission to automatically determine whether or not a person is photographed. The red-eye prevention light emission is performed to eliminate the need for the user to switch to the red-eye emission mode.

The invention according to claim 3 provides the invention according to claim 2.
In the invention according to the above, a red-eye prevention light emission mode setting means for the user to set a red-eye prevention light emission mode for performing red-eye prevention light emission is provided, and the strobe control means is If set, when the face detection unit detects a human face, the strobe light emission unit is caused to perform red-eye prevention emission and then main emission, while the red-eye prevention emission mode setting unit is set. If the red-eye prevention flash mode is not set in, and the face detection unit detects a person's face, the strobe flash unit does not perform the red-eye prevention flash but only the main flash. is there.

According to the above invention, the user sets the red-eye prevention emission mode setting means to set the red-eye prevention emission mode for performing red-eye prevention emission, and the strobe control means sets the red-eye prevention emission mode to the red-eye prevention emission mode setting means. If a face of a person is detected by the face detection means, the strobe light emission means is caused to perform the red-eye prevention emission and then the main emission is performed, while the red-eye prevention emission mode setting means is used for the red-eye prevention emission. If the mode is not set, and the face detection unit detects a person's face,
Only the main light emission is performed without the red-eye prevention light emission.
Even when shooting a person, there are cases where it is desired to shoot without red-eye emission in order to prioritize the photo opportunity.
By making it possible for the user to select whether or not to perform red-eye shooting, if the user does not want to perform red-eye light emission, the user is prohibited to enable shooting with a strong shutter chance.

The invention according to claim 4 is the same as claim 1.
In the invention according to the above, when the face detection unit detects the face of a person and the ratio of the face in the screen is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the strobe control unit weakens the strobe light amount of the strobe light emitting unit. It is something to set.

According to the above invention, the strobe control means is
If the face detection unit detects a person's face and the proportion of the face on the screen is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the proportion of the face on the screen can be reduced by setting the strobe light amount of the strobe light emitting unit to a weaker value. When the value is equal to or larger than the predetermined value, it is determined that the face is photographed up, and the flash light amount is weakened.
This prevents blown-out highlights caused by strong strobe light hitting the face.

The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claim 4
In the invention according to the first aspect, a weak light emission amount setting means for the user to set the amount of weakening the strobe light amount is provided.

According to the above invention, the user sets the amount of weakening the strobe light amount by the weak light emission amount setting means. For example, when photographing a woman, strobe light is more likely to be reflected than when photographing a man because of makeup. By allowing the user to set the amount by which the strobe light is weakened, it is possible to perform shooting according to the situation.

The invention according to claim 6 is the same as claim 1.
In the invention according to above, the brightness of the face part detected by the face detection means and the ambient brightness are compared, and when the brightness of the face part is darker by a predetermined value or more than the ambient brightness,
Backlight determining means for determining backlight is provided, and the strobe control means, when the backlight is determined to be backlight,
The strobe light emitting means causes the strobe light to emit light.

According to the above invention, the backlight judging means compares the brightness of the face part detected by the face detecting means with the surrounding brightness, and the brightness of the face part is compared with the surrounding brightness. When it is darker than a predetermined value, it is judged that there is backlight, and when the backlight judging means judges that there is backlight, the strobe flashing means causes the strobe lighting means to flash, so that there is backlight even if the person is not in the center of the screen. Therefore, it becomes possible to perform stroboscopic light emission for backlight compensation.

The invention according to claim 7 provides the invention according to claim 6.
In the invention according to the aspect of the invention, there is provided a backlight strobe setting means for allowing the user to set whether or not the stroboscopic light emitting means emits strobe light when the backlight judgment means determines that there is backlight.

According to the above-mentioned invention, the user sets, by the backlight strobe setting means, whether or not the strobe light emitting means emits strobe light when the backlight judgment means judges that there is backlight. Even if the brightness of the face is darker than the brightness of the surroundings, it may not be desired to fire the flash depending on the shooting intention and the situation. The user can select whether or not the backlight is corrected by the strobe light, which corresponds to the shooting intention and situation.

The invention according to claim 8 is the first aspect.
In the invention according to any one of claims 7 to 11, face detection operation setting means for the user to set whether or not to control the stroboscopic light emitting means based on the detection result of the face of the person by the face detecting means. It is equipped with.

According to the above invention, the user uses the face detection operation setting means to set whether to control the strobe light emitting means based on the detection result of the face of the person by the face recording detection means. For example, when shooting a landscape, it is not necessary to shoot a person. In the case of such landscape photography, the user prohibits the face detection operation to perform photography according to the situation.

The invention according to claim 9 relates to claim 1
The invention according to any one of claims 8 to 8 further comprises notifying means for notifying a user of the detection result of the face of the person by the face detecting means.

According to the above invention, the notifying means notifies the user of the detection result of the face of the person by the face detecting means, whereby the user can judge whether the face recognition processing is normally operated,
When the camera is malfunctioning, it is possible to prevent the shooting from failing by stopping the shooting.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, an image input step of inputting image data corresponding to a subject, a face detecting step of detecting a face of a person from the image data input by the image pickup means, And a strobe control step of controlling strobe light emitting means for emitting strobe light based on the result of detecting the face of the person by the face detection step.

According to the above invention, the image data corresponding to the subject is input, the face of the person is detected from the image data input by the image pickup means, and the strobe light is emitted based on the detection result of the face of the person. By controlling the stroboscopic light emitting means, it is automatically determined whether or not the person is photographed, and the light emission suitable for the person is automatically emitted.

According to an eleventh aspect of the invention, in the invention according to the tenth aspect, the strobe control step is:
When a face of a person is detected in the face detecting step, the stroboscopic light emitting means is caused to perform red-eye preventing light emission and then main light emission.

According to the above invention, when the face of a person is detected in the face detecting step, the stroboscopic light emitting means is caused to perform the red-eye preventing light emission and then the main light emission to determine whether or not the person is photographed. Is automatically determined, and red-eye prevention light emission is automatically performed to eliminate the need for the user to switch to the red-eye emission mode.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the method includes a red-eye prevention light emission mode setting step in which a user sets a red-eye prevention light emission mode for performing red-eye prevention light emission. When the red-eye prevention light emission mode is set in the red-eye prevention light emission mode setting step, and when the face of a person is detected in the face detection step, the strobe light emission means is caused to perform red-eye prevention light emission, While the main light emission is performed, when the red-eye prevention light emission mode is not set in the red-eye prevention light emission mode setting step, and when the face of the person is detected in the face detection step, the red-eye prevention emission light is emitted to the strobe light emitting means. Only the main light emission is performed without performing.

According to the above invention, the user sets the red-eye prevention light emission mode for performing the red-eye prevention light emission, and when the red-eye prevention light emission mode is set, the strobe light emission means is activated when the person's face is detected. , After the red-eye prevention flash is activated,
On the other hand, when the red-eye prevention light emission mode is not set and the face of a person is detected, the strobe light emission means does not perform the red-eye prevention light emission but only the main light emission is performed. Even when shooting a person, there are cases where it is desired to shoot without red-eye emission in order to prioritize the photo opportunity. By making it possible for the user to select whether or not to perform red-eye shooting, if the user does not want to perform red-eye light emission, the user is prohibited to enable shooting with a strong shutter chance.

Further, in a thirteenth aspect of the present invention based on the twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the strobe control step, when a face of a person is detected in the face detection step, a ratio of the face occupied in the screen is When the value is equal to or more than the predetermined value, the strobe light amount of the strobe light emitting means is set to be weak.

According to the above invention, when the face of a person is detected and the ratio of the face in the screen is equal to or more than a predetermined value,
By setting the amount of strobe light of the strobe light emitting device to be weak, if the ratio of the face in the screen is equal to or more than a predetermined value, it is determined that the face is photographed up, and the amount of strobe light is emitted to be weak. This prevents blown-out highlights caused by strong strobe light hitting the face.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the thirteenth aspect, a weak light emission amount step in which a user sets an amount for weakening the strobe light amount is included.
According to the above invention, the user sets the amount by which the amount of strobe light is weakened. For example, when photographing a woman, strobe light is more likely to be reflected than when photographing a man because of makeup. By allowing the user to set the amount by which the strobe light is weakened, it is possible to perform shooting according to the situation.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the tenth aspect, the brightness of the face part detected in the face detecting step is compared with the ambient brightness, and the brightness of the face part is determined. When the backlight is darker than a predetermined value compared to the ambient brightness, it includes a backlight determining step of determining backlighting, and in the strobe control step, when the backlight is determined in the backlight determining step, the strobe light emitting means flashes. It emits light.

According to the above-mentioned invention, the detected brightness of the face portion is compared with the surrounding brightness, and when the brightness of the face portion is darker than the surrounding brightness by a predetermined value or more, it is judged that there is backlighting. When it is determined that the subject is backlit, the strobe light emitting unit causes the strobe to emit strobe light, so that it is possible to determine that the subject is backlit even if the person is not in the center of the screen, and it is possible to perform strobe light emission for backlight compensation.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the fifteenth aspect, the user sets whether or not the strobe light emitting means emits a strobe light when it is determined that the light is a back light in the back light judging step. This includes a backlight strobe setting step to be performed.

According to the above-mentioned invention, the user sets whether or not the strobe light emitting means is caused to emit the strobe light when it is determined that the backlight is on. Even if the brightness of the face is darker than the brightness of the surroundings, it may not be desired to fire the flash depending on the shooting intention and the situation. The user can select whether or not the backlight is corrected by the strobe light, which corresponds to the shooting intention and situation.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the tenth to sixteenth aspects, the stroboscopic light emitting means is controlled based on the detection result of the human face by the face detecting step. It includes a face detection operation setting step in which the user sets whether or not to do so.

According to the above invention, the user sets whether to control the stroboscopic light emitting means based on the detection result of the face of the person. For example, when shooting a landscape, it is not necessary to shoot a person. In the case of such landscape photography, by prohibiting the face detection operation by the user, photography according to the situation becomes possible.

The invention according to claim 18 is the invention according to any one of claims 10 to 17, further comprising a notification step of notifying a user of the detection result of the face of the person in the face detection step. It includes. According to the above invention,
By notifying the user of the detection result of the person's face, the user can judge whether the face recognition process is operating normally.If it is malfunctioning, the shooting is stopped and the shooting fails. It is possible to prevent.

The invention according to claim 19 is a program for causing a computer to execute each step of the invention according to any one of claims 10 to 18. According to the above invention, each step of the invention according to any one of claims 10 to 18 is realized by executing a program by a computer.

[0042]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of an image pickup apparatus according to the present invention, a flash control method, and a digital camera to which a program for executing the method by a computer is applied will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Explained.

FIG. 1 is an external configuration diagram of a digital camera according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1A is a front view, FIG. 1B is a side view, and FIG. 1C is a top view. ing. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the upper lid is opened. In the figure, 1 is a camera body, 2 is a taking lens, 3 is a strobe unit, 4 is a viewfinder, 5 is an openable lid, 6 is a hinge for supporting the openable lid 5, and 7 is an upper lid 5. A liquid crystal monitor provided on the inside, 8 a sub-LCD provided on the outside of the upper lid 5, 9 an upper lid opening / closing detection switch for detecting opening / closing of the upper lid 5, 10 a barrier opening / closing knob,
Reference numeral 11 is a release switch for instructing operation such as shooting, 12 is a mode switching switch for selecting each mode, 13 is a strobe switch for strobe emission, and 14 is an image quality mode switch for setting shooting image quality. , 15 is a cursor key, 16 is a DATE switch for inputting a date, 17 is an ENTER key, 18 is an SE key
The LECT key is shown.

The mode changeover switch 12 is a SETUP mode for changing or confirming the settings of the camera,
Still image mode for recording still images, moving image mode for recording moving images, playback mode for playing recorded files, connecting to a computer to send files to the computer and operate the camera from the computer For selecting the PC mode, the communication mode for performing communication via the network, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the digital camera according to this embodiment. The digital camera shown in the figure includes a photographing lens 2 (zoom lens 2a, focus lens 2b), a mechanical mechanism (mechanical shutter, diaphragm, filter, etc.) 101, CCD 102, F / E (CD
S circuit, AGC circuit, A / D conversion circuit) 103, IPP
104, compression / expansion circuit 105, memory card 106,
DRAM 107, liquid crystal monitor 7, sub-LCD 10, operation unit 108, motor (zoom lens motor 109a, focus motor 109b, aperture / shutter motor 109)
c) 109, driver (zoom driver 110a, focus driver 110b, aperture / shutter driver 1)
10c) 110, SG111, battery 112, DC / DC
Converter 113, AC adapter 114, controller (CPU 115a, FLASH_ROM 115b, SD
_RAM 115c) 115, a communication driver unit 116, a network communication unit 117, and a flash unit 3.

The photographing lens 2 is for forming an image of a subject, and a zoom lens 2a for realizing a zoom function and a focus lens 2 for focusing on the subject.
b. The mechanical mechanism 101 includes a mechanical shutter, a diaphragm for adjusting the brightness of a subject, a filter, and the like. The CCD 102 converts the subject image formed by the taking lens 2 into an electric signal and outputs it to the F / E 103 as analog image data.

The F / E 103 pre-processes the analog image data input from the CCD 102, and includes a CDS circuit for performing correlated double sampling of the analog image data input from the CCD 102 and a CDS circuit. An AGC circuit that adjusts the gain of the output analog image data, and an A / D conversion that performs A / D conversion on the analog image data output from the AGC circuit and outputs the digital image data to the IPP 104. It consists of a circuit.

The IPP 104 is for subjecting the input image data to various types of image processing. For example, the F / E
After performing interpolation processing on the color image data input from 103, YUV data (luminance Y data, color difference U,
V data).

The compression / expansion circuit 105 compresses the YUV data by a compression method conforming to the JPEG method, and decompresses the compressed image data stored in the memory card 106 by the expansion method conforming to the JPEG method. To process.

The DRAM 107 is a frame memory for temporarily storing captured image data, image data read from the memory card 106, and the like. The memory card 106 is detachably attached to the main body of the digital camera and stores the compressed image data as an image file.

The liquid crystal monitor 7 is for displaying image data and the like. The sub LCD 8 is for displaying the set mode and operation contents of the digital camera.

The zoom driver 110a drives the zoom motor 109a according to the control signal input from the controller 115 to move the zoom lens 2a in the optical axis direction. The focus driver 110b drives the focus motor 109b according to a control signal input from the controller 115 to move the focus lens 2b in the optical axis direction. Aperture / Shutter driver 110
In response to a control signal input from the controller 115, c drives the diaphragm / shutter motor 119c to set the diaphragm value of the diaphragm of the mechanical mechanism 101 and open / close the mechanical shutter of the mechanical mechanism 101.

The SG 111 is based on a control signal input from the controller 115, and the CCD 102 and the F / E 1
Drive 03. The battery 112 is, for example, a battery of NiCd, nickel hydrogen, lithium, or the like, and supplies a DC voltage to the DC / DC converter 113. AC adapter 1
14 converts the AC voltage into a DC voltage and supplies it to the DC / DC converter 113. DC / DC converter 113
Is the D input from the battery 112 or the AC adapter 114.
The level of the C voltage is converted to supply power to each part of the digital camera.

The communication driver section 116 is for connecting to an external device (for example, a personal computer or the like) to perform data communication. Network communication unit 117
Is for data communication with the network.

The strobe unit 3 is a unit for emitting strobe light, and is controlled by the controller 115 to perform red-eye prevention light emission and main light emission.

The operation unit 108 includes various keys and switches (release switch 11, mode changeover switch 12, strobe switch 13, image quality mode switch 1) shown in FIG. 1 for the user to give various instructions to the digital camera.
4, cursor key 15, DATE switch 16, ENT
ER key 17 and SELECT key 18)
The controller 11 detects the operation of various keys and switches.
Output to 5. The above-mentioned release switch 11 is a two-step SW, and when it is pressed halfway, the first SW is turned on, and when it is fully pressed, the second switch is turned on. In the digital camera, the AE operation and the AF operation are executed when the first SW is turned on, and the photographing operation is executed when the second SW is turned on.

FIG. 3 shows a user setting screen of recording conditions displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 7 when the SETUP mode is selected by the mode changeover switch 12 of the operation unit 108. The recording condition user setting screen shown in the figure shows the setting conditions for each item ("focus" [AF / manual], "face detection (face detection operation mode)" [ON / OF
F], "Face detection automatic weak emission (setting of weak setting amount)", "Auto / Manual (user weak setting amount is large, medium,
Small)], "ON for red-eye prevention flash (red-eye flash mode)"
/ OFF], “ON / OFF” for “face detection backlight compensation (permit flash emission when backlight is determined)”, “Auto / Manual” for “metering point”, “ON / OF” for “long exposure”
F], "ON / OFF" of "with date") is a screen for the user to set. On the screen shown in the figure, use the cursor key 15 to select the desired item, and then use the SELECT key 18 to select the desired setting condition.
The setting condition selected by the TER key 17 is set.

As will be described later, when the user selects "auto" of "face detection automatic weak light emission (setting of weak setting amount)", the CPU 115a sets the weak setting amount. On the other hand, when the user selects [manual] of "face detection automatic weak light emission (setting of weak setting amount)", the user further selects [large, medium] of weak setting amount (user weak setting amount). , Small].

In the example shown in the figure, "focus" is [A
F], "face detection (face detection operation mode)" is "ON", "
"Face detection automatic weak emission (setting of weak setting amount)" is [Auto], "Red-eye prevention emission (red-eye emission mode)" is [O
N], "Face detection backlight correction (strobe emission at backlight judgment)" is "ON", "," metering point "is" Auto ","
"Long exposure" is [OFF], "Dated" is [OF
F]) is set.

The controller 115 is a unit for controlling the overall operation of the digital camera, and based on an instruction from the operation unit 108, the SD_RAM 115 according to a control program stored in the FLASH_ROM 115b.
CPU 115a for controlling the operation of each part of the digital camera using c as a work area, and CPU 115a
FLASH_ROM 11 storing various control programs to be executed by the computer and parameters and data required for control
5b and an SD_RAM 115c used as a work area for the CPU 115a. FLA
The control program, parameters, and data stored in the SH_ROM 115b can be distributed via the network, and can be downloaded and stored via the network. Also, FLASH_
Programs, parameters, and data can be written in the ROM 115b from an external device connected via the communication driver unit 116.

Further, the CPU 115a controls the monitoring operation, AF operation, AE operation, and photographing operation. Further, the CPU 115a has a still image mode for recording a still image, a moving image mode for recording a moving image and sound, and controls the execution of each mode.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the detailed structure of the strobe unit 3 shown in FIG. Strobe unit 3
Includes a xenon tube and emits a strobe light.
1. A main capacitor 202 that accumulates electric charges for causing the xenon tube of the light emitting unit 201 to emit light, a charging circuit (boosting circuit) 203 that charges the main capacitor 202, and a light emission start (trigger) that starts emission of the xenon tube of the light emitting unit 201. ) Circuit 204, light emission stopping circuit 205 for stopping light emission of the xenon tube of light emitting unit 201, reflected light receiving unit 2 for receiving reflected light from a subject and outputting it to light emission stopping circuit 205
It is equipped with 06.

Next, the operation of the strobe unit 3 will be described. The CPU 115a uses the charging circuit 2 when charging.
A charge start signal is output to 03. The charging circuit 203 is C
When a charge start signal is input from the PU 115a, DC /
The output voltage input from the DC converter 113 is boosted to start charging the main capacitor 202. When the charging is started, the CPU 115a periodically monitors the charging voltage of the main capacitor 202 via the charging circuit 203. The CPU 115a outputs a charge stop signal to the charging circuit 203 when the main capacitor 203 is charged to a preset strobe light emission voltage. The charging circuit 203 stops charging the main capacitor 202 when a charging stop signal is input from the CPU 115a.

The CPU 115a outputs a light emission signal to the light emission start circuit 204 when causing the xenon tube of the light emitting unit 201 to emit light. The light emission starting circuit 204 is the CPU 115a.
When a light emission signal is input from the light emission start circuit 204,
The light emission of the xenon tube of the light emitting unit 201 is started. The reflected light receiving unit 206 receives the reflected light from the subject and outputs it to the light emission stopping circuit 205. The transmission stop circuit 205 integrates the reflected light input from the reflected light receiving unit 206. The transmission stop circuit 205 stops the light emission of the xenon tube of the light emitting unit 201 when the integrated amount of the reflected light reaches a predetermined value (normal strobe light emission (main light emission)). Further, when the integrated amount of the reflected light does not reach a predetermined value even after a certain time elapses, or when the xenon tube is made to emit light for a minimum time as in red-eye prevention light emission, the CPU 115a stops the light emission stop signal. The signal is output to the circuit 205, and in response to this, the light emission stop circuit 205 stops the light emission of the xenon tube.

Next, the strobe light emission operation, the monitoring operation, and the like, which are executed under the control of the CPU 115a,
The basic operation of the still image shooting operation will be described.

The still image mode or the moving image mode is selected by the mode changeover switch 12 of the strobe light emitting operation unit 108, and the strobe switch 13 is turned on.
When the release switch 11 is fully pressed to turn on SW2 in the state of N, the CPU 115a executes a strobe light emission operation. Specifically, in the strobe light emission operation, when the face detection operation mode is set (see FIG. 3 above), first, face detection processing is executed to detect a person's face. Specifically, the image data input from the CCD 102 is F / E (CDS, AGC, A / D) 10
After being processed in 3, the IPP 104 is input. IPP1
The signal is processed in 04 and then written in the DRAM 107. The CPU 115a detects a person's face from the image data stored in the DRAM 107 by using a known face recognition technique (Gabor wavelet transform + graph matching). When the face of a person is detected, it can be determined that the person is photographed. The CPU 115a controls the strobe unit 3 based on the detection result of face detection. In addition, the digital camera according to the present embodiment automatically detects a person's face and determines that it is a person, and automatically controls the strobe unit 3 without bothering the user. Take pictures of people in appropriate brightness. In addition,
Here, the CPU 18a executes the control program to perform face detection, but dedicated hardware for face detection may be provided.

When the still image mode or the moving image mode is selected by the mode selector switch 12 of the monitoring operation operating section 108, the monitoring image is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 7. Specifically, the image data of the subject input from the CCD 3 is F / E (CDS, A
It is input to the IPP 104 after being processed by GC, A / D). Then, after the signal processing by the IPP 104, the DRA
A monitoring image corresponding to the image data written in M107 and stored in the DRAM 107 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 7. The user can determine the composition of shooting by looking at the monitoring image of the subject displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 7.

Still image photographing operation The CPU 115a selects the still image mode or the moving image mode with the mode selector switch 12 of the operation unit 108, and then the release switch 11 of the operation unit 108 is fully pressed to switch SW2.
When is turned on, the still image shooting operation is executed. CCD1
The image pickup data captured from 02 is written in the DRAM 107 after being subjected to image processing / compression processing by the IPP 104. The CPU 115a writes the compressed image data written in the DRAM 107 to the memory card 106 as a still image file.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart for explaining the strobe light emitting operation of the digital camera according to the present embodiment. The strobe light emitting operation of the digital camera of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the following description, the case where the face detection operation mode is set will be described.

[Light Emission Request Initialization Processing] In FIG. 7, the CPU 115a first clears the strobe light emission request (step S1) and then clears the red-eye light emission request (step S2). After that, the CPU 115a executes face detection processing (step S3).

Here, the face detection processing will be described. The following methods (1) to (4) are known as methods for detecting a person image facing the front from the subject image, and any one of them is used in the present embodiment.

Television Society Journal Vol. 49, N
o. 6, pp. 787-797 (1995) “Proposed modified HSV color system effective for face area extraction”, a method of converting a color image into a mosaic image and extracting the face area by focusing on the skin color area. IEICE Journal Vol. 74-D-II, No.
11, pp. 1625-1627 (1991), "Geometry regarding each part constituting the head of a front human figure such as hair, eyes and mouth" as shown in "Method of extracting face area from still gray scene image". Method to extract the head region of a front person using various shape features. As shown in "Face detection for videophone and its effect" in Image Lab 1991-11 (1991), in the case of a moving image, contour edges of a human image generated by a subtle movement of a human between frames are used. The method of extracting the front person image.

Next, the CPU 115a performs exposure AE calculation processing, and performs AE calculation processing from the image data taken in from the CCD 102 (step S4). Where A
The E calculation process will be specifically described. FIG. 5 shows the CCD 102.
7 shows an example of division when the screen (image frame) is divided into a plurality of areas Y1 to Y35. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of image data of the subject in FIG.

The IPP 104 calculates the luminance data Y1 to Y35 for each of the areas Y1 to Y35 which are the objects of photometry, based on the image data (each pixel data (R, G, B)) input from the CCD 102. The formula for calculating the brightness data is shown below. In the following calculation formula, Rn, Gn, and Bn are
The average value of each pixel data (R, G, B) in each area is shown.

[0075]   Area 1: Y1 = 0.299R1 + 0.587G1 + 0.114B1   Area 2: Y2 = 0.299R2 + 0.587G2 + 0.114B2                                ・                                ・   Area n: Yn = 0.299Rn + 0.587Gn + 0.114Bn

The IPP 104 is a center-weighted metering method (a method that places emphasis on the brightness of the central portion and determines brightness data by taking into consideration ambient brightness), partial metering method (brightness only in the area within the screen). Brightness data is determined only by the average value of the data), Sport metering method (same concept as partial metering, but the metering area is small, 1-2%
It is a degree. ), The brightness by using one of the divided photometry methods (the screen is divided into multiple areas, the average value of the brightness is calculated for each area, and the brightness data is determined from the brightness distribution pattern). Data Yy (photometric value)
To calculate.

In the face detection operation mode, the IPP 104 calculates the brightness data of each area including the face, and calculates the average value of the brightness data of the calculated areas as the brightness data YFace (the brightness of the face part). ). In the example shown in FIG. 6, Y14, Y20, Y21, Y26, Y27.
The average value of the brightness data of the area is defined as brightness data Yface (brightness of the face portion).

In the face detection operation mode,
The brightness data of each of the other areas (areas around the face) excluding the area including the face is calculated, and the average value of the calculated brightness data of the other areas is the brightness data YA (ambient brightness).
Calculate as In the example shown in FIG. 6, Y1 to Y13, Y
15-Y19, Y22-Y25, and Y28-Y35
The average value of the brightness data of the area is set as the brightness data YA (ambient brightness).

[Strobe mode confirmation processing] Then, CP
The U 115a determines whether or not the strobe prohibition mode is set (step S5). The strobe prohibit mode is set when the strobe switch is off. As a result of this determination, if the strobe prohibition mode is set, the flow is ended, while if the strobe prohibition mode is not set, the process proceeds to step S6.

In step S6, the CPU 115a determines whether the forced light emission mode is set. The forced light emission mode is set on the user setting screen for the above-described recording conditions (see FIG. 3 above). As a result of this determination, if the forced light emission mode is set, the process proceeds to step S8, while if the forced light emission mode is not set, the process proceeds to step S7.

In step S7, the CPU 115a
Determines whether the photometric value is less than a predetermined threshold value (predetermined brightness) with reference to the photometric result of the AE calculation in step S4. As a result of this determination, if the photometric value is not less than the predetermined threshold value (predetermined brightness), the process proceeds to step S9, while if the photometric value is less than the predetermined threshold value (predetermined brightness), the CPU 115a. Sets a flash emission request (step S8).

[Backlight judgment processing] Next, the CPU 115
In step a, a determines whether or not strobe light emission at the time of backlight determination is permitted (step S9). The permission / non-permission of strobe light emission at the time of the backlight determination is set on the user setting screen of the above-described recording condition (see FIG. 3 above). As a result of this judgment,
If the flash emission at the time of backlight determination is not permitted, the process proceeds to step S13. On the other hand, if the flash emission at the time of backlight determination is permitted, the CPU 115a
Determines whether or not a face is detected on the screen in the face detection process (step S10).

As a result of this judgment, if no face is detected, the process proceeds to step S13. On the other hand, step S1
If a face is detected at 0, the CPU 115a
Refers to the photometric result of the AE calculation in step S4, and determines whether the face part is darker than the surrounding part by a predetermined value or more (step S11). As a result of this determination, if the face portion is not darker than the surrounding portion by the predetermined value or more, the process proceeds to step S13, while if the face portion is darker than the surrounding portion by the predetermined value or more, the strobe light is emitted. A light emission request is set (step S12), and the process proceeds to step S13.

Next, in the processing so far, the CPU 115a
Determines whether or not the strobe light emission request is set (step S13). As a result of this determination, if the strobe light emission request is not set, the flow is ended, while if the strobe light emission request is set, the process proceeds to step S14.

[Red-Eye Emission Processing] In step S14, the CPU 115a determines whether or not the red-eye emission mode is set. This red-eye emission mode is set on the user setting screen for the above-mentioned recording conditions (see FIG. 3 above). If the result of this determination is that the red-eye emission mode has been set, the CPU 115a sets a red-eye emission request (step S17), and then moves to step S18. On the other hand, if the red-eye emission mode is not set, the CPU 115a determines whether or not a face is detected within the screen (step S15). As a result of this determination, when no face is detected in the screen, the process proceeds to step S18. On the other hand, when a face is detected on the screen, the CPU 11
5a determines whether or not permission for automatic red-eye emission is set (step S16). The permission / non-permission of the automatic red-eye emission is set on the user setting screen of the above-described recording condition (see FIG. 3 above). As a result of this determination, if the automatic red-eye emission permission is not set, the process proceeds to step S18, while if the automatic red-eye emission permission is set, after the red-eye emission request is set (step S1).
7) and shifts to step S18. In step S18, the CPU 115a calculates the flash emission amount.

[Weak emission determination processing] In step S19,
The CPU 115a determines whether or not a face is detected on the screen. As a result of this determination, if no face is detected in the screen, the process proceeds to step S24, while if a face is detected in the screen, the area of the part determined to be a face is larger than a predetermined value. It is determined whether or not (step S20). As a result of this determination, when the area of the part determined to be the face is not larger than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S24,
When the area of the part determined to be the face is larger than the predetermined value, the CPU 115a determines whether or not the weak set amount is set (step S21). This weak setting amount is set on the user setting screen of the above-described recording condition (see FIG. 3 above).
reference). As a result of this determination, when the weak set amount is set, the CPU 115a subtracts the user weak set amount set by the user from the calculated stroboscopic light emission amount (step S22), while the weak set amount is set. If not, the predetermined weak set amount is subtracted from the calculated strobe light emission amount (step S23).

Subsequently, in step S24, the CPU
115a determines whether or not the red-eye emission request is set. If the result of this determination is that a red-eye emission request has been set, after performing red-eye emission processing (step S
25), main light emission processing is performed (step S26). On the other hand,
If the red-eye emission request is not set, the main-emission processing is performed without performing the red-eye emission processing (step S2).
6).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the CPU 115a determines whether or not the person is photographed by detecting the face of a person, and when the person is photographed and the strobe is emitted, the red-eye image is emitted. Since it was decided to perform the main flash after the preventive flash was fired, it can be automatically judged to be a person shooting and the red-eye flash can be automatically fired, saving the user the trouble of switching to the red-eye flash mode. Becomes

Further, according to the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the person is photographed by performing face detection, and whether or not the red-eye prevention light emission is automatically performed when the person is photographed and the strobe light is emitted. Since it is settable by the user, if the user does not want to emit red-eye light, by prohibiting the red-eye light emission, it becomes possible to perform photography that is strong against a shutter chance.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the CPU 11
In 5a, when the ratio of the face in the screen is equal to or more than a predetermined value, it is determined that the face is close-up, and the flash light amount is weakened. It is possible to prevent jumps. in this case,
Since the user can set the amount by which the amount of strobe light is weakened (the amount set by the user), it is possible to perform stroboscopic photography according to the situation.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the CPU 11
5a compares the brightness of the position determined to be a face with the brightness of the surroundings, and when the brightness of the position determined to be the face is darker than the brightness of the surroundings by a predetermined value or more, it is determined to be a backlight and the strobe light is automatically emitted. Since it is decided that the person is not in the center of the screen, it is possible to perform strobe emission for backlight compensation.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the user can set whether or not to emit the strobe light when it is determined that the backlight is on. Therefore, the user can select whether or not the backlight is corrected by the strobe light. , It is possible to perform shooting according to the shooting intention and situation.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the user can set whether or not to perform the face detecting operation. Therefore, the user performs the face detecting operation according to whether or not to photograph the person. It is possible to select whether or not to improve the usability for the user.

In the present embodiment, the face detection result may be notified to the user in the face detection process. For example, when the face is detected, the CPU 115a displays a rectangular frame on the face portion of the person in the image data displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 7 to notify the user that the face has been detected. . FIG. 8 shows a display example of image data (monitoring image) displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 7, and FIG. 9 shows a display example when a rectangular frame A is displayed on the face portion of a person in the image data of FIG. .

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be modified as appropriate without changing the gist of the invention.

[0096]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, in the image pickup apparatus having the strobe function, the image pickup means for inputting the image data corresponding to the subject, and the input from the image pickup means. Face detecting means for detecting a person's face from the image data to be recorded, strobe light emitting means for emitting strobe light, and the strobe light emitting means based on the detection result of the face of the person by the face detecting means. With the strobe control means for controlling,
It is possible to automatically determine whether or not a person is photographed, and automatically emit light suitable for person photographing.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the strobe control means causes the strobe light emitting means to cause the strobe light emitting means to detect when a face of a person is detected by the face detecting means. Since the main light emission is performed after the red-eye prevention light emission is performed, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1, it is automatically determined whether or not a person is photographed, and the red-eye prevention light emission is automatically performed. The effect is that the user does not need to switch to the red-eye emission mode.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided red-eye prevention light emission mode setting means for the user to set a red-eye prevention light emission mode for performing red-eye prevention light emission, The strobe control means, when the red-eye prevention light emission mode is set by the red-eye prevention light emission mode setting means and when the face of the person is detected by the face detection means, causes the strobe light emission means to emit red-eye prevention light emission. After that, while the main light emission is performed, if the red-eye prevention light emission mode is not set by the red-eye prevention light emission mode setting means, and if the face of the person is detected by the face detection means, Since only the main light emission is performed without performing the red-eye prevention light emission, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1, whether or not the user performs the red-eye photographing is determined. Can-option, if you do not want the red-eye emission, prohibits the red-eye preventing emission, an effect that it is possible to strong shooting in shutter chance.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the strobe control means occupies a face in the screen when the face detection means detects a human face. When the ratio is equal to or more than the predetermined value, the stroboscopic light amount of the stroboscopic light emitting means is set to be weaker. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1, the ratio of the face in the screen is equal to or more than the predetermined value. In this case, it is possible to determine that it is a close-up shot of the face, emit light with a weak strobe light amount, and it is possible to prevent overexposure caused by striking the face with strobe light strongly.

Further, according to the invention of claim 5, in the invention of claim 4, since the weak light emission amount setting means for the user to set the amount of weakening the strobe light amount is provided, the user It is possible to set the amount by which the strobe light is weakened, and it is possible to perform shooting according to the situation.

According to the invention of claim 6, in the invention according to claim 1, the brightness of the face part detected by the face detecting means is compared with the ambient brightness, and the brightness of the face part is compared. When the backlight is darker than the surrounding brightness by a predetermined value or more, the backlight control means determines the backlight, and the strobe control means, when the backlight determination means determines the backlight, the strobe light emitting means. In addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1, it is possible to determine that the subject is backlit and to perform strobe emission for backlight compensation, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1. Produce an effect.

The invention according to claim 7 provides the invention according to claim 6.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a backlight strobe setting means for allowing a user to set whether or not the strobe light emitting means emits a strobe light when the back light judging means judges that there is a back light. In addition to the effects of the present invention, the user can select whether or not to perform backlight compensation by strobe light, and it is possible to respond to the user's shooting intention and situation.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the stroboscopic light emitting means is activated based on the result of the face detection by the face detecting means. Since the face detection operation setting means for the user to set whether or not to control is provided, in addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the user can perform the face detection operation. By prohibiting, it is possible to take an image according to the situation.

Further, according to the invention of claim 9, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the result of detecting the face of the person by the face detecting means is notified to the user. Since the user is able to determine whether the face recognition process has worked normally, and if it is malfunctioning, it is possible to prevent the shooting from failing by stopping the shooting. Has the effect of becoming.

Further, according to the invention of claim 10,
An image input step of inputting image data according to the subject,
A face detection step of detecting a person's face from the image data input by the image pickup means, and a strobe control for controlling a strobe light emitting means for emitting strobe light based on a result of the person's face detection by the face detection step. Since the process is included, there is an effect that it is possible to automatically determine whether or not a person is photographed, and automatically perform light emission suitable for person photographing.

Further, according to the invention of claim 11,
In the invention according to claim 10, in the strobe control step, when a human face is detected in the face detection step,
After causing the stroboscopic light emitting means to perform red-eye prevention light emission,
Since the main light emission is performed, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 10, it is automatically determined whether or not a person is photographed, the red-eye prevention light emission is automatically performed, and the user switches to the red-eye light emission mode. This has the effect of eliminating the need.

Further, according to the invention of claim 12,
The invention according to claim 11, further comprising a red-eye prevention light emission mode setting step in which a user sets a red-eye prevention light emission mode for performing red-eye prevention light emission, wherein in the strobe control step, the red-eye prevention light emission mode is set in the red-eye prevention light emission mode setting step. When a face of a person is detected by the face detection step, the stroboscopic light emission unit is caused to perform red-eye prevention emission and then main emission, while the red-eye prevention emission mode setting is performed. When the red-eye prevention light emission mode is not set in the step, and when a face of a person is detected in the face detection step, the strobe light emission means is caused not to perform the red-eye prevention light emission but to perform only the main light emission. Therefore, in the invention according to claim 11, it is prohibited if the user sets the red-eye prevention emission mode for performing red-eye prevention emission and does not want to perform red-eye emission. Rukoto can be, there is an effect that it is possible to strong shooting in shutter chance.

Further, according to the invention of claim 13,
13. In the invention according to claim 12, in the strobe control step, when a face of a person is detected in the face detection step, if the proportion of the face in the screen is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the strobe light amount of the stroboscopic light emitting means. Since it is set to be weaker, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 12,
When the ratio of the face on the screen is more than the specified value, it can be determined that the face is close-up and the flash light can be emitted with a weaker intensity, causing overexposure caused by strong strobe light hitting the face. The effect is that it can be prevented.

Further, according to the invention of claim 14,
According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the method includes a weak light emission amount step in which a user sets an amount for weakening the strobe light amount. According to the above invention, since the user sets the amount of weakening the strobe light amount, the user can set the amount of weakening the strobe light. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 13, It is possible to shoot according to.

Further, according to the invention of claim 15,
In the invention according to claim 10, comparing the brightness of the face portion detected in the face detecting step with the ambient brightness,
When the brightness of the face part is darker than the surrounding brightness by a predetermined value or more, it includes a backlight determination step of determining backlight, and the strobe control step includes a backlight determination step in the case of backlight determination. In addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 10, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 10, it is possible to determine that there is backlight even if a person is not in the center of the screen, and perform flash emission for backlight compensation. The effect is that it becomes possible.

Further, according to the invention of claim 16,
Since the invention according to claim 15 includes the backlight strobe setting step in which the user sets whether or not the strobe light emitting section emits strobe light when the backlight is determined in the backlight judgment step. In addition to the effect of the invention according to Item 15, the user can select whether or not to perform backlight compensation by strobe light, and thus it is possible to respond to the intention or situation of shooting.

Further, according to the invention of claim 17,
In the invention according to any one of claims 10 to 16, face detection operation setting in which the user sets whether to control the stroboscopic light emitting means based on the detection result of the human face by the face detection step. Since the process is included, in addition to the effects of the invention according to any one of claims 10 to 16, in addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 10 to 16, depending on the situation, the user prohibits the face detection operation in the case of landscape photography. This has the effect of enabling shooting.

Further, according to the invention of claim 18,
Since the invention according to any one of claims 10 to 17 includes a notifying step of notifying a user of the detection result of the face of the person in the face detecting step,
In addition to the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 17 to 17, by notifying the user of the detection result of the face of the person, the user can determine whether the face recognition processing is normally operated,
When the camera is malfunctioning, it is possible to prevent the shooting from failing by stopping the shooting.

Further, according to the invention of claim 19,
Since each step of the invention according to any one of claims 10 to 18 is realized by executing the program on the computer, it is possible to automatically determine whether or not the object is photographed by executing the program on the computer. Therefore, it is possible to automatically perform the light emission suitable for photographing a person.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external configuration diagram of a digital camera according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital camera according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a user setting screen of recording conditions displayed on a liquid crystal monitor when a SETUP mode is selected by a mode selection switch of the operation unit.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the strobe circuit shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining AE calculation processing.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining AE calculation processing.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining strobe light emission operation of the digital camera according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display example of a liquid crystal monitor of the digital camera of the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display example of a liquid crystal monitor of the digital camera of the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 camera body 2 Shooting lens 3 Strobe 4 finder 5 Top lid 6 hinges 7 LCD monitor 8 sub LCD 9 Top lid open / close detection switch 10 Barrier opening / closing knob 11 Release switch 12 Mode selector switch 13 Strobe switch 14 Image quality mode switch 15 Cursor key 16 DATE switch 17 ENTER key 18 SELECT key 2a zoom lens 2b Focus lens 101 Mechanical mechanism 102 CCD 103 F / E 104 IPP 105 compression / expansion circuit 106 memory card 107 DRAM 108 Operation part 109a Zoom lens motor 109b Focus motor 109c Aperture / Shutter motor 110a zoom driver 110b focus driver 110c Aperture / Shutter driver 111 SG 112 batteries 113 DC / DC converter 114 AC adapter 115 controller 115a CPU 115b FLASH_ROM 115c SD_RAM 116 Communication driver section 117 Network Communications Department 201 Light emitting part 202 Main capacitor 203 Charging circuit (Booster circuit) 204 Light emission start (trigger) circuit 205 Light emission stop circuit 205 Reflected light receiver

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H04N 5/238 H04N 5/238 Z // H04N 101: 00 101: 00 F term (reference) 2H002 AB04 AB06 CD00 CD11 DB00 DB15 DB24 DB29 2H053 AA00 AA01 AB03 AC12 AC17 AD00 AD21 BA25 DA09 2H102 AA71 BB08 CA01 5C022 AA13 AB15 AC42 AC69

Claims (19)

[Claims] 1. An image pickup apparatus having a strobe function, an image pickup unit for inputting image data according to a subject, and a face for detecting a person's face from the image data input from the image pickup unit. An image pickup device comprising: a detection unit; a strobe light emission unit for emitting strobe light; and a strobe control unit for controlling the strobe light emission unit based on a result of detection of a human face by the face detection unit. apparatus. 2. The strobe control means causes the strobe light emitting means to perform red-eye preventing light emission and then main light emission when the face detecting means detects a human face. The imaging device according to claim 1. 3. A red-eye prevention light emission mode setting unit for a user to set a red-eye prevention light emission mode for performing red-eye prevention light emission, wherein the strobe control unit sets the red-eye prevention light emission mode by the red-eye prevention light emission mode setting unit. If set, when the face detection unit detects a human face, the strobe light emission unit is caused to perform red-eye prevention emission and then main emission, while the red-eye prevention emission mode setting unit is set. If the red-eye prevention light emission mode is not set in, and the face detection unit detects a human face, the flash light emission unit may be caused to perform only the main light emission without performing the red-eye prevention light emission. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 2, which is characterized in that. 4. The strobe control means reduces the strobe light amount of the strobe light emitting means when the face occupying ratio in the screen is equal to or more than a predetermined value when the face detecting means detects a human face. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image pickup apparatus is set. 5. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a weak light emission amount setting unit for a user to set an amount of weakening the strobe light amount. 6. The backlight of the face detected by the face detecting means is compared with the brightness of the surroundings, and when the brightness of the face is darker than a predetermined value by a predetermined value or more, the backlight is backlit. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a backlight determining unit that determines that the backlight control unit causes the flash emitting unit to emit a flash light when the backlight determining unit determines that the backlight is a backlight. 7. A backlight strobe setting means for allowing a user to set whether or not the strobe light emitting means emits a strobe light when the back light judging means judges that the light is a back light. Item 6. The imaging device according to item 6. 8. A face detection operation setting means for allowing a user to set whether or not to control the strobe light emitting means based on the detection result of the face of the person by the face detecting means. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. 9. The image pickup device according to claim 1, further comprising an informing unit for informing a user of the detection result of the face of the person by the face detecting unit. apparatus. 10. An image input step of inputting image data according to a subject, a face detection step of detecting a face of a person from the image data input by the image pickup means, and a face detection step of the face detection step. A strobe control step of controlling strobe light emitting means for emitting strobe light based on the detection result, and a strobe control method. 11. The stroboscopic control step causes the stroboscopic light emission means to perform red-eye prevention light emission and then main light emission when a face of a person is detected in the face detection step. The flash control method according to claim 10. 12. A red-eye prevention light emission mode setting step in which a user sets a red-eye prevention light emission mode for performing red-eye prevention light emission, wherein in the strobe control step, the red-eye prevention light emission mode is set in the red-eye prevention light emission mode setting step. When a face of a person is detected by the face detection step, the stroboscopic light emission means is caused to perform red-eye prevention light emission and then main light emission, while the red-eye prevention emission mode setting step is performed. When the preventive light emission mode is not set, and when a face of a person is detected in the face detection step, the strobe light emitting means is caused not to perform the red-eye preventive light emission but only to perform the main light emission. The strobe control method according to claim 11, 13. In the strobe control step, if a face of a person is detected in the face detection step and the ratio of the face in the screen is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the strobe light amount of the strobe light emitting means is weakened. 13. The strobe control method according to claim 12, wherein the strobe control method is set. 14. The strobe control method according to claim 13, further comprising a weak light emission amount step in which a user sets an amount for weakening the strobe light amount. 15. Comparing the brightness of the face part detected in the face detecting step with the ambient brightness, and when the brightness of the face part is darker than a predetermined value by a predetermined value or more, backlighting is performed. 11. The flash control method according to claim 10, further comprising: a backlight determination step of determining that the flash control step causes the flash emission means to emit a flash when the backlight is determined to be the backlight in the backlight determination step. . 16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising a backlight strobe setting step in which a user sets whether or not the strobe light emitting section emits a strobe light when it is determined to be a backlight in the backlight judgment step. The strobe control method described. 17. The method according to claim 10, further comprising a face detection operation setting step in which the user sets whether or not to control the stroboscopic light emitting means based on the detection result of the human face by the face detection step. The flash control method according to claim 16. 18. The strobe control method according to claim 10, further comprising an informing step of informing a user of the detection result of the face of the person in the face detecting step. 19. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 18.
A program for a computer to execute each step of the invention according to one aspect.